Download The Sun

Facts About The Sun The Sun is a star found at the _______________ of the Solar System.
It makes up around ___________________% of the Solar System’s mass.
At around 1,392,000 kilometres (865,000 miles) wide, the Sun’s
____________________ is about 110 times wider than Earth’s.
Around 74% of the Sun’s mass is made up of ____________________. Helium
makes up around 24% while heavier elements such as oxygen, carbon, iron and
neon make up the remaining percentage.
Light from the Sun reaches Earth in around ____________ minutes.
The Sun’s surface temperature is around _________________ degrees Celsius
(9941 degrees Fahrenheit), so pack plenty of sunscreen if you plan on visiting
(remembering that the average distance from the Sun to the Earth is around 150
million kilometers).
The Sun’s________________________ is around 13600000 degrees Celsius!
The Sun generates huge amounts of energy by combining hydrogen nuclei into
helium. This process is called nuclear ____________________.
Because of the Sun’s huge influence on Earth, many early cultures saw the Sun as
a __________________. For example, Ancient Egyptians had a sun god called Ra
while in Aztec mythology there is a sun god named Tonatiuh.
The Sun produces a solar _________________ which contains charged particles
such as electrons and protons. They escape the Sun’s intense gravity because of
their high kinetic energy and the high temperature of the Sun’s corona (a type of
plasma atmosphere that extends into space).
Planets with strong ____________________fields such as Earth manage to deflect
most of these charged particles as they approach.
A solar ___________________ occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and the
Earth.
Name
The Sun
Read the passage and answer the questions.
The sun is a hot glowing ball of gas, our star, in the
center of the solar system. Although the sun is very
special to us, it is not unique in the universe. It is a
common middle-sized star. The sun is made out of
mostly hydrogen and helium. The sun is about 93
million miles away from Earth. The temperature at the
core of the sun is approximately 25 million degrees Fahrenheit. In the core,
fusion is taking place; this is the process that creates all that energy and heat.
The energy and heat that we get from the sun makes all life on earth possible. All
of the planets in the Milky Way, our solar system, orbit around this very
important star.
1. How far is the sun from the Earth?
2. What causes the sun to be so hot?
3. What is the temperature at the core of the sun?
4. What would happen to our planet if there were no sun?
5. What is the sun made of?
Facts About The Sun The Sun is a star found at the center of the Solar System.
It makes up around 99.86% of the Solar System’s mass.
At around 1,392,000 kilometres (865,000 miles) wide, the Sun’s diameter is about
110 times wider than Earth’s.
Around 74% of the Sun’s mass is made up of hydrogen. Helium makes up around
24% while heavier elements such as oxygen, carbon, iron and neon make up the
remaining percentage.
Light from the Sun reaches Earth in around 8 minutes.
The Sun’s surface temperature is around 5500 degrees Celsius (9941 degrees
Fahrenheit), so pack plenty of sunscreen if you plan on visiting (remembering that
the average distance from the Sun to the Earth is around 150 million kilometers).
The Sun’s core is around 13600000 degrees Celsius!
The Sun generates huge amounts of energy by combining hydrogen nuclei into
helium. This process is called nuclear fusion.
Because of the Sun’s huge influence on Earth, many early cultures saw the Sun as
a god. For example, Ancient Egyptians had a sun god called Ra while in Aztec
mythology there is a sun god named Tonatiuh.
The Sun produces a solar wind which contains charged particles such as electrons
and protons. They escape the Sun’s intense gravity because of their high kinetic
energy and the high temperature of the Sun’s corona (a type of plasma atmosphere
that extends into space).
Planets with strong magnetic fields such as Earth manage to deflect most of these
charged particles as they approach.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth.
Name ____________________________ Date ____________________ Class ____________
The Solar System
The Sun
Guide for Reading
■ What are the three layers of the sun’s interior?
■
What are the three layers of the sun’s atmosphere?
■
What features form on or above the sun’s surface?
The sun’s mass is 99.8 percent of all the mass in the solar system. Because the
sun is so large, its gravity is strong enough to hold all of the planets and
other distant objects in orbit.
Unlike Earth, the sun does not have a solid surface. Like Earth, the sun
has an interior and an atmosphere. The sun’s interior consists of the core,
radiation zone, and convection zone. Each layer has different properties.
The sun produces an enormous amount of energy in its core, or central
region. The sun’s energy comes from nuclear fusion. In the process of
nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms in the sun join to form helium.
The light and heat produced by the sun’s core first pass through the
middle layer of the sun’s interior, the radiation zone. The radiation zone is
a region of very tightly packed gas where energy is transferred mainly in the
form of electromagnetic radiation.
The convection zone is the outermost layer of the sun’s interior. Hot
gases rise from the bottom of the convection zone and gradually cool as they
approach the top. Cooler gases sink, forming loops of gas that move heat
toward the sun’s surface.
The sun’s atmosphere consists of the photosphere, the chromosphere,
and the corona. The inner layer of the sun’s atmosphere is called the
photosphere. Photo means “light,” so the photosphere is the sphere that
gives off visible light.
At the beginning and end of a solar eclipse, you can see a reddish glow
around the photosphere. This glow comes from the middle layer of the sun’s
atmosphere, the chromosphere. Chromo means “color,” so the chromosphere
is the “color sphere.”
During a total solar eclipse, a fainter layer called the corona is visible.
The corona sends out a stream of electrically charged particles called solar
wind.
Features on or above the sun’s surface include sunspots, prominences,
and solar flares. Sunspots are areas of gas on the sun that are cooler than the
gas around them. Sunspots usually occur in groups. Reddish loops of gas
called prominences link different parts of sunspot regions. Sometimes the
loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect, releasing large amounts of
energy. The energy heats gas on the sun to millions of degrees Celsius,
causing the gas to explode into space. These explosions are known as solar
flares. Solar flares can greatly increase the solar wind.
Name ____________________________ Date ____________________ Class ____________
The Solar System
The Sun
Understanding Main Ideas
Label the diagram of the sun below.
1.
4.
2.
5.
3.
6.
Building Vocabulary
Match each term with its description by writing the letter of the correct description
in the right column on the line next to the term in the left column.
____
7. solar flare
____
8. core
____
9. chromosphere
____ 10. sunspot
____ 11. corona
____ 12. nuclear fusion
a. the layer of the sun’s atmosphere that gives off visible
light
b. the layer of the sun’s atmosphere that has a reddish
glow
c. the layer of the sun’s atmosphere that looks like a
halo during an eclipse
____ 13. photosphere
d. areas of gas on the sun’s surface that are cooler than
the gases around them
____ 14. solar wind
e. reddish loops of gas that link parts of sunspot regions
____ 15. prominence
f. eruptions that occur when the loops in sunspot
regions suddenly connect
____ 16. radiation zone
____ 17. convection zone
g. a stream of charged particles produced by the corona
h. the center of the sun
i. the outermost layer of the sun’s interior
j. the joining of hydrogen atoms to form helium
k. the layer of the sun’s interior where energy is
transferred mainly by electromagnetic radiation